Two more indicted on murder charges

June 19, 2004|By TARA REILLY

HAGERSTOWN

Two more people have been charged in indictments with first-degree felony murder and other charges in the March shooting death of a 19-year-old Waynesboro, Pa., man, according to the Hagerstown Police Department.

Azaniah Blankumsee, 26, and Tione Kenneth Blake, 25, were charged in the indictments issued by a Washington County grand jury on Wednesday in connection with the death of Jonathan Dennis, 19, police said in a written statement.

Tyshawn Jones, 23, also was charged in an indictment Wednesday by a Washington County grand jury, police said.

Dennis was shot to death March 14 at the Washington Gardens housing complex, police said.

Blankumsee, also known as "Azzy," was charged with 48 criminal counts. He was charged with one count of first-degree felony murder, seven counts of attempted second-degree murder, eight counts of first-degree assault, one count of use of a handgun in a crime of violence, one count of use of a handgun in commission of a felony, 12 counts of second-degree assault, one count of wearing/carrying a handgun on a person, 12 counts of reckless endangerment, one count of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon, police said.

Advertisement

Felony murder is a murder committed during the commission of a felony such as robbery, burglary or kidnapping.

Blake was charged with 11 counts, including one count each of first-degree felony murder, use of a handgun in a crime of violence, robbery with a deadly weapon, use of a handgun in the commission of a felony, robbery, wearing/carrying a handgun on a person, first-degree assault, conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon, second-degree assault, felon in possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment, police said.

The Hagerstown Police Department said that after midnight on March 14, several people left Apartment 958-C in the Washington Gardens housing complex on Security Road and walked toward the parking lot.

Dennis and another man had gone outside to wait for a ride home and were escorted by other men in the group out of fear there might be trouble with Blankumsee and others because of an earlier altercation, police said.

Dennis, who was not present during the prior incident, was struck by one of five shots fired from about 50 to 75 feet away, police said.

Police said in a statement Friday that more than one person fired at the group when Dennis was killed.

Dennis was shot immediately after Blake allegedly robbed someone at the complex, police said Friday.

Blankumsee, Blake and Jones were being held Friday in the Washington County Detention Center on the first-degree felony murder charges without bond, a Detention Center spokesman said.

Blankumsee was charged with additional counts of first-and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment for allegedly pointing a handgun at several people inside the apartment before the armed robbery and shooting, police said Friday.

Blankumsee was charged in an arrest warrant March 14 with first-and second-degree murder in connection with the shooting. He was taken into custody May 25.

Jones was charged Wednesday in an indictment issued by a Washington County grand jury with one count each of first-degree felony murder and second-degree murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, use of a handgun in the commission of a felony, armed robbery, robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and controlled dangerous substance, felon in possession of a firearm; seven counts each of first-and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment; and six counts of attempted second-degree murder.

The indictment alleges that Jones killed Dennis with "premeditated malice" and shot at six others March 14.

The indictment also alleges that Jones assaulted and robbed one of the others of $8 and conspired to commit an armed robbery at the housing complex.

Another man, Victor Lawrence Anderson, 24, was charged in an arrest warrant March 26 with one count of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and one count of transporting a handgun in a vehicle in connection with the shooting, police have said. He was taken into custody April 2.

Anderson was being held Friday in the Washington County Detention Center on $600,000 bond, a spokesman said.